Day 34: Tuesday, October 9, 2012
Underway: 7:40 am Motor Off: 1:15 pm Miles Traveled: 30 Stayed At: Marina wall
Mile 66 to Mile 96: The day dawned cool and foggy as we prepared to leave Paris Island Marina. Temperatures have been 10-12˚ cooler than normal for this time of year and have almost matched temperatures back home in Minnesota. This is not what we expected but we have lots of layers to choose from and have not suffered too much.
We followed Tango out of the harbor with only wispy fog creating a beautiful sunrise view of the river. As we traveled upriver, the fog created some interesting effects. In some areas, rivers of fog rolled down low areas along the shore and spilled out onto the river before disappearing as it hit the warmer water. In other areas we thought we were watching some scary movie as Tango would disappear into the abyss in a small dark fog bank where all we could see was the tip of his mast. Yet, when we entered the fog bank, we had decent visibility and could see for miles behind us. Spooky and beautiful at the same time. The scariest part was all the fishing boats whizzing by at full speed fog or no fog trying to catch that winning fish.
The fog kept the temperatures down to where Cindy was wearing maybe a record number of layers – she wouldn’t let me count them. But I was cold too so we were glad to end the day a little early by following Tango into a highly recommended family owned marina – Pebble Isle – at Mile 96. The sun was shining, the wind died down and Cindy had to start stripping layers within minutes of tying up to the transient dock.
Even though we live in the year 2012, communications can still be difficult in remote or lightly traveled areas. The marina had decent satellite internet that allowed me to do some furnace research (our dirt house needs a new furnace since it is getting very cold in Minnesota). In order to call and arrange the installation, I had to climb up a hill and stand in a particular 5-foot diameter circle in a parking lot under a street lamp and even there it was iffy. Glad that project is in good hands and I can relax a little.
It was nice to see some Looper friends on Northern Spirit – they have taken a leisurely cruise down the lake stopping at several nice anchorages and biding their time before they head to the Looper Rendevous in the middle of October. We also saw Loopy Kiwi from Green Turtle Bay and met a nice couple that are professional crew on a 57’ motor yacht. They basically live on the boat year round and manage the boat for the owner. They have made the north south river trip many times over the last five years (usually a lot faster than us at 20+ mph). What an interesting career.
After enjoying a walk to a nearby park celebrating the site of Old Johnsonville and a civil war memorial, we shared a strawberry shake from the onsite restaurant and a snack of crackers and cheese for dinner on Aurora. We found out our daughters have tickets to visit us in Florida in December and can’t wait to share a little of our adventure with them. We slept like babies at Pebble Isle.
